Developed in 1979, Akalabeth is the first game made by the legendary creator of the Ultima Series, Richard Garriot.

Designed by the teenage Garriot in Applesoft BASIC for the Apple II, Akalabeth is one of the earliest known examples of a computer role-playing game, and is considered by many to be “Ultima 0.”

Featuring 10 different monsters, procedurally generated dungeon crawling, and wire frame 3D graphics, Akalabeth was highly advanced for its time and is still widely regarded as one of the most historically significant RPGs ever created.

In creating Akalabeth, Garriott was primarily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, for which he held weekly sessions in his parents’ house while in high school; and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, which he received from an in-law of his brother. The name derives from Tolkien’s Akallabêth, part of The Silmarillion; though the game is not based on Tolkien’s story. In the original game, the last monster on the need-to-kill list is called “Balrog”, like the demonic monsters from The Lord of the Rings, and unlike the later name for the monster in the Ultima games, Balron. Read more.